Post-Game Notes: Georgia Tech 77, VCU 64

Dec. 16, 2015

–MISCELLANEOUS NOTES  Opening tap won by VCU. Tech has won the opening tap three times in nine games this season.  Georgia Tech starting lineup: Heath, Georges-Hunt, Smith, Jacobs, Mitchell  First subs for Georgia Tech: Jackson, Lammers at the 15:38 mark of the first half  On the floor for Georgia Tech at the end: Georges-Hunt, Heath, Jackson, Mitchell, Smith  Series record vs. VCU: Tech is 3-0 overall, 3-0 at home, 1-0 at McCamish Pavilion, 2-0 under Brian Gregory, 1-0 vs. Will Wade  Current series streak: Tech won the last three meetings  Georgia Tech is 5-1 at McCamish Pavilion this season, 34-22 in the fourth season in the building, 34-22 under Brian Gregory  Georgia Tech’s next game: December 19, 2015 at Georgia, 12 p.m. ET, Stegeman Coliseum, Athens, Ga.

TEAM NOTES  Georgia Tech went 24-of-26 from the free throw line, 17-for-18 in the second half, to keep VCU at bay. The Yellow Jackets improved their season success rate to 72.9 percent, including a 71.1 percent mark in the second half, 80 percent (40-for-50) in the final five minutes of games.  Tech out-rebounded VCU, 41-36, after the Rams went into halftime with a 21-19 advantage. It was the eighth time in nine games this season and the 80th time in 133 games under Brian Gregory that the Jackets have out-rebounded their opponent. Tech is 50-40 in those games. The Jackets have a plus-11.5 rebounding advantage for the season, having come into the game 10th in the nation and second in the ACC in that category.  Tech held VCU to 28.9-percent shooting in the second half, and has held its last two opponents to a collective 32.9 percent (30-for-91) after intermission.  VCU shot 32.4 percent for the game, a season low for a Tech opponent. The previous low was 35.1 percent in game 2 by Tennessee.  Conversely, Tech shot 53.6 percent, including 3-for-6 on its threes, in a 50-point second half. It was Tech’s fifth 50-point half of the season. Tech has outshot its opponents 45.9 percent to 40.4 percent in the second half this season.  Tech scored more than 70 points for the third straight game and for the sixth time this season. The Yellow Jackets reached 70 points only six times all of last season.  Tech committed 15 turnovers in the game, one off its season high but a respectable total against VCU’s pressure defense which had forced an average of 17.5 per game coming in. The Jackets also were able to limit their turnovers despite not having Travis Jorgenson, out with an ankle injury. Tech’s season rate of 11.6 turnovers per game is 1.1 fewer than last season. Four Tech players have turnover rates of under two per 40 minutes.  Tech pulled 12 rebounds from the offensive glass and cashed those in for 14 second-chance points. Tech is averaging 16.8 second-chance points this season compared to 12.7 in 2014-15.  Tech is averaging 80.6 points per game, its highest figure since the 1990-91 season, and converting 46.3 percent of its field goal tries this season, its highest since 2007-08.  Tech has averaged 70.3 offensive possessions this season compared to 63.1 last season. Its team offensive efficiency rating is 115.6 compared to 97.2 last season.  Tech also has made major improvements in points off turnovers (14.7 compared to 13.0 last season), second-chance points (16.8 to 12.7), points in the paint (35.6 to 32.2) and fast break points (10.9 to 8.3).  Tech’s four big men — Nick Jacobs, Charles Mitchell, Ben Lammers, James White — went 11-of-24 from the floor against VCU and are just 44-for-95 in the last four games. They are 127-for-222 for the season (57.2 percent). Mitchell is hitting 61.2 percent of his field goal tries (leads the ACC), and Jacobs has made 48.1 percent. Lammers is 18-for-26 (69.2 pct.) and White is 18-for-40 (45.0 percent).  Tech used nine available players in the game, and eight of them scored.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

 Josh Heath posted his second double-digit scoring game of the season and the fourth of his career with 12 points. He went 5-for-6 from the free throw line and opened Tech’s scoring with a three-point field goal, only his second of the season.  Reserve forward James White was a key performer off the bench for the Yellow Jackets, playing perhaps his best game since the opener against Cornell (14 pts, 11 reb). He went 3-for-7 from the floor and scored six points with eight rebounds, and did not turn the ball over in 16 minutes.  Travis Jorgenson missed his first game of the season due to an ankle injury. He missed one game last year due to a sore knee. It was Tech’s first game lost to injury this season. Marcus Georges-Hunt and Adam Smith took up the slack in handling the ball, and Heath played a season-high 29 minutes, one off his career high.  Charles Mitchell ran his double-double streak to nine games this season with 12 points and 11 rebounds. It was his 16th double-double in a Tech uniform and 21st or his career. Only one other player in NCAA Division I has nine double-doubles in nine games. It seemed for a time his streak might end — he scored his 10th point on a putback with 6:05 remaining, and grabbed his 10th rebound with 1:12 left.  Mitchell reached double digits in scoring for the 11th straight game dating back to last season. It was his 24th double-digit game in a Tech uniform, and the 40th of his career. He has made 61.2 percent of his field goal tries this season to lead the ACC.  It was Mitchell’s 28th career double-figure rebound game. He is averaging an ACC-leading 12.8 per game and ranks sixth in the nation.  Marcus Georges-Hunt scored 20 points and reached double figures for the 70th time in 103 career games at Georgia Tech. It was his second straight double-digit games after getting 19 at Tulane. It also was his 11th game of 20 points or more in his career.  Georges-Hunt moved into 27th place on Tech’s all-time scoring list tonight, and now has 1,264 career points. He passed Drew Barry (1,253), and needs one more to reach 26th place Jarrett Jack (1,265), and two more to catch 25th place Bud Blemker (1,266).  Tadric Jackson went only 1-for-7 from the floor, but was a key figure off the bench with four assists and just two turnovers in a season-high 24 minutes, and he went 4-for-4 from the foul line.  Adam Smith went 1-for-5 from three-point distance in the game, and has made at least one in every game this season and in his last 11 straight games dating back to last season. He has made at least one in 78 of 87 games in his career. Smith ranks fourth in the ACC in three-pointers per game and has hit 41.4 percent from distance this season.  Quinton Stephens scored six points with a key pair of threes on back-to-back possessions for Tech in the second half, expanding the Jackets’ lead from 39-36 to 45-36 with 13:07 left.  Tech’s top five scorers this season — Marcus Georges-Hunt, Charles Mitchell, Adam Smith, Nick Jacobs and Quinton Stephens — have hit a combined 79.3 percent (111-for-140) of their charity tosses this season. They went 15-for-16 against Tulane.